Longing and Otherness
by I.M. Elizabeth
Summary: When Marshall Lee loses his precious axe guitar, Fionna finally learns the tale behind the mysterious Vampire King's exile, and exactly how he became Aaa's "Bad Little Boy".
1. Chapter 1

**Longing and Otherness  
**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Adventure Time or any of its characters seen in this fanfiction, and they belong to their respective owners, however I do own the Music Kingdom and Music Princess, please do not use them without my permission.  
_

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Chapter One – Moral Wounds_****_

"_Moral wounds have this peculiarity - they may be hidden, but they never close; always painful, always ready to bleed when touched, they remain fresh and open in the heart." _

___**- Alexandre Dumas. The Count of Monte Crist**__o._

When Marshall first laid his eyes upon his long favored instrument, he nearly trembled, although if it was from fear, or sadness, he couldn't say. He hadn't seen it all day, this guitar, beautifully crafted from the family axe, and he trailed his fingers over it, half expecting it to turn to dust at his touch.

He had first discovered it missing earlier that morning; he'd awoken in a raging panic, nearly destroying his house in the process. He'd looked everywhere, and was half considering that the ice queen had stolen it. Normally he'd kept it by his bed, relieved by its comfort in the dark.

But he'd been exhausted the day before, having agreed to play a few songs at a party for Lumpy Space Prince the night before, and then also having a jam session with Fionna, and even visiting his old lady. In short, the blasted thing could be anywhere.

The clock had nearly struck noon when he'd finally given up his search and called for Fionna. Marshall had been unable to mask the panic in his tone when he had done so, and his friend had gently complied. The two of them had spent the remainder of the evening looking for the axe guitar, and with no luck they had dejectedly trudged up to the attic to halfheartedly search up there.

"Found it." He said, trying not to sound silly with his relief. He pulled out the red instrument as it gleamed in the dusk light that shone through the window and cradled it.

"I must have left it up here when I was looking for that amulet of mom's. I can't believe I did that." He said, staring at his reflection on the polished metal of the axe.

_If something ever happens to me, the music will let you know. _The memory suddenly flooded his senses for just a moment, until he shook his head, scowling slightly.__

"Marshall?" Fionna questioned, a hint of worry flooding her voice as she noticed the change of expression on her friend's face.

"It's cool." Marshall said, masking his annoyed expression with a grin, "I just really missed this thing."

"Oh," Fionna said, eying the instrument with curiosity. "Marshall, do you mind if I stay here a little longer?" she asked suddenly, "Cake is with Monochromicorn, and I don't want to…bother them."

The Vampire king glanced out at the window, where the entrance to his cave betrayed the gleam of dusk. He chuckled, "No problem. "

"So, how are you and Flame Prince?" he asked, suddenly changing the subject. It was an obvious ploy, but Fionna must have decided to let it slide. Ever since her relationship with the Flame Prince had begun, she'd felt isolated from the others; Flame Prince after all wasn't the most stable of people. And it was hard garnering Gumball's approval for him in the first place.

She'd never seemed the type to be in a relationship, and Marshall could tell that even the thought of her best friend being in such a relationship would sometimes make the brave adventurer quite shy.

"Happy." She responded shortly, her hand suddenly beginning to toy with the bottom of her skirt.

"Just happy?" he said teasingly, "You know what, let's grab some eats, and I guess I'll tell you the story behind my guitar."

The vampire wasn't entirely sure what made him suddenly decide to share this story with Fionna, but she sure seemed to need it. Nearly everyone who knew the noble heroine had noticed Gumball's coldness towards her, and the burns she'd received from the Flame Prince's hugs and occasional kiss.

Being with someone like that could be…difficult.

While they were in the kitchen Marshall bustled around, humming a song to himself quietly as he fixed up a small meal for himself and Fionna. He hoped she liked tomato soup.

"One batch of tomato soup, coming right up." He said with a grin, placing a bowl in front of the hero of Aaa.

"This is great." She said, smiling up at the vampire king who had just taken a seat at the table.

The two friends ate their soup in silence for a moment, before Fionna spoke again, gesturing her spoon towards the guitar that occupied the seat that Cake was usually in.

"So tell me about it." She said.

"Well," he said slowly, "The land past the Ice Kingdom-"

"You mean the Unknown Lands?" she interrupted, pulling out a map she and Cake had drawn of Aaa several years ago, the page crinkled with age, and what looked to be demon rabbit blood.

Marshall took a quizzical look at the map, then grinned, pointing over the area that seemed to be clouded in a mysterious purple haze, the words "Unknown Lands" written over it in Fionna's own messy script.

"Yep, right there, in the center of those lands is a very small kingdom. The Music Kingdom."

"So that's where you got your axe guitar?" Fionna questioned.

"Yep." Marshall said softly, picking up the instrument and strumming it affectionately

"But, it's really a long story," he admitted. Then he stopped, and a slight flush went through his pale vampire cheeks, "Music Princess is one rad lady."

"Sounds like someone had a crush." Fionna said, her grin widening to reveal her small, rabbit-like teeth.

"More than that." He said with a grin. "A lot like you and your flame prince. The Music Princess is really…unpredictable.

Fionna's brow furrowed, "Unpredictable…how?"

Marshall swallowed, and then shook his head, his ruby eyes betraying just a hint of sadness in them.

"Think about the nature of sounds Fionna, music is very interchangeable, sweet sounds can suddenly become violent, loud becomes soft, and vise versa. She was the most moody person I'd ever met."

"Is that why you aren't together?"

"No…I…she was tricked." He said slowly, his voice now trembling slightly. "The Ice Queen wanted to expand her lands…I…this is such a long story."

"Then start from the beginning bro." Fionna said, not unkindly.

Marshall took a deep breath and taking himself back, he began to tell Fionna a story that he had not breathed in half a century.


	2. Curiosity and Candy

_**Author's Notes:**__ Thanks so much for the support over this story. It's been a really long time since I've written fanfiction of any kind, and I was nervous about posting anything other than Death Note work. Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up, I've been dealing with some personal things. Thank you guys for being so patient._

Chapter Two – Curiosity and Candy

"So tell me, why exactly am I here?" I asked, not trying very hard to hide the disdain in my voice. The candy kingdom had never been my favorite place, mainly due to the fact that over half of the kingdom, and its inhabitants were feasible for an easy meal. But, at the time, Gumball was my closest and dearest friend, and I figured that it was bad manners to run around eating his citizens like, well, candy.

He'd sent me a letter to the tree house earlier that morning, requesting my presence at the castle. The letter itself was a big fancy looking thing that I had actually only skimmed through, not reading much of the contents and instead only focusing on how girly his signature had been.

And now, I'd found myself here, watching bored and uninterested as the prince skittered around the room inspecting this and that, moving to and fro between the sugary clutter.

There were several boxes of candy littered around the castle, sweets and cakes too, while the prince himself was carefully inspecting each item with what looked like a loupe. I began to wonder if he had heard me, so I restated my question again, slowly, as if he were a child.

"Well," he said, not catching my tone or and as usual began to sound less like a person, and more like an encyclopedia. "We send shipments of sweets to the music kingdom that are taxed, and in return the money we receive helps keep the candy kingdom so powerful."

I stared at him for a moment, watching him fiddle with a less than perfect pastry, carefully redecorating it with sprinkles.

"So wait a moment," I said, forgetting my previous concerns, "let me get this straight, there's a _music kingdom_?"

Instantly Gumball's face fell, and I was willing to bet that he had expected for me to begin questioning him about the history of his oh so beloved kingdom of candy.

"And you never _told_ me?" I continued, making sure my voice sounded incredulously betrayed. Of course, seeing Gumball's flushed face and embarrassment made it all worth it to me.

As I had predicted, he seemed quite flustered, "Well, yes Marshall." He said, tugging at the edge of his ruffled collar,

"The Music Kingdom, along with the Candy Kingdom is one of the oldest in Aaa. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it, actually. But then again, they are rather secretive. I brought you here, because I thought, you would have an affinity for, _those people_."

"What do you mean?" I said curiously.

"Oh you don't understand!" he said hysterically, dramatically falling into a plush armchair that was stationed in the corner of the room, "These people are just so… impossible to deal with. Their queen is so strange! She sings in riddles and rhymes and is difficult to please. Once, she sent back eight shipments of my finest cupcakes, because the sprinkles weren't shaped like music notes."

I couldn't help it. I practically burst into laughter at the pained look on the Prince's face. It was really obvious that talking to this queen was the last thing he wanted to do, and it became apparent why he wanted my help.

Gumball had never really had an interest in music, not understanding that it wasn't about dissecting sounds and compiling them, but the feelings that it gave you. Music with no feeling was simply empty. He was too stiff and formal for this queen probably, and she probably did not like the feelings his offerings gave her.

"What's she like? What's her name?" I asked quickly, turning to float before him, perched on my own invisible air chair.

"Strange," he said, picking up one of the small tarts in the box beside him and dusting it off carefully.

"Yes yes, you said that already." I stated impatiently, "What else? What's her name?"

He gave a long-suffering sigh and eyed me carefully, "Her name is Minuet, Minuet Cavatina Music."

Hmm. A strange name, Minuet, but at the same time I found it pleasing enough.

"What is her personality like?"

"Volatile." he responded, sounding almost tired. I got the impression that he didn't much care for this 'music princess.'  
"She's rather unstable, and prone to temper tantrums and bouts of extreme sadness and rage. Then, an hour later she is completely happy, and singing cheerfully."

"How does she rule the kingdom?" I asked, unable to imagine the person he was describing in any position of leadership.

Prince Gumball crossed his long, thin pink fingers in front of his chin. "Well, I remember when she and I had discussed our current treaty, I was invited to stay among her people. They seemed happy enough, quiet though, and careful of their mistress."

He suddenly stood again, and began packaging up the tarts he had just finished inspecting. "Although, her butler, a funny little note named Da Capo, seemed to be the only thing able to calm her random fury." And suddenly, the prince shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of a bad thought.

Now, I was never one to judge kingdom relationships, being a king myself and having dealt with frustrating treaties and deals with untrustworthy leaders in the past. However, I didn't really understand Gumball's dislike of them. Sure, they sounded kind of unstable, but was it merely a difference of opinion…or something else?

But at the time I thought I knew better than to ask, and little did I know, it was a huge mistake that ended up shaping events in a way I could have never thought possible.

"Tell you what." I said cheerfully, "I'd really like to visit this kingdom. When the shipment is ready, I'll be more than happy to go in your stead."

For the first time that day, I saw a true smile flit across the gum prince's features as he clasped my undead hand in his own. "Oh thank you Marshall, thank you. This will save me a world of trouble."

For the rest of the afternoon, we packaged and inspected at least a hundred more sweets. Although I wasn't really paying too much attention, my head was travelling a hundred miles an hour; trying to imagine what such a kingdom was like. More than once, Gumball had to criticize things I'd missed on his beloved sweets, although to be truthful, he just seemed glad this music princess wasn't going to be his responsibility for the moment.

"That seems to be the last of it." I said, dusting the powdered sugar off my hands, and admiring our handy work. The red and white boxes were all neatly fitted and tied to Prince Gumball's Morrow, a large brown eagle-like creature that stared at me with intelligent eyes.

"When do we part?" I asked, trying to hide my excitement.

Gumball seemed too tired to share in my energy, but he smiled at me, "Well, right now if you wish. The journey to the Unknown Lands is quite long, although not dangerous. If you left now, you would reach the kingdom by morning."

"As you wish." I said comically, giving the candy prince a mock bow. I was fairly certain that if I had still had blood pumping through my veins, my heart would have been pounding furiously.

After all, I'd always been a sucker for an adventure, and oh let me tell you Fionna, it was the adventure of a lifetime.


End file.
